Two San Juan Islanders Featured in Seattle-Based Magazine

Stephanie Prima – Mark Gardner photo

Congratulations to Mark Gardner and Stephanie Prima. Their work is featured in the Fall 2016 edition of 3rd Act Magazine™: Aging with Confidence.

Stephanie’s article on her mother’s Italian bread legacy will have your mouth watering, and Mark’s photography brings the kitchen bread-making session to life – you can almost smell the yeast and olive oil.

Print copies are available for free at Marketplace and King’s, but this is a high-quality, well-written publication and quantities are limited so get them while you can. Or read the article and access the bread recipe online and read the full magazine here.

Crossing Borders Presentations will Feature Obstruction Island Visual Artist and NYC Poet

Dianne Kornberg – Contributed photo

Visual artist Dianne Kornberg and poet, Elisabeth Frost, will be presenting a series of Art As A Voice talks on Lopez, San Juan, and Orcas Islands during October. Kornberg’s work with Frost is featured in the exhibition, For All We Know on display through November 28th at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) in Friday Harbor. Kornberg, an Obstruction Island resident, collaborates with Frost to make photo-based digital prints that incorporate poetic text.

Kornberg relies on her knowledge of the conventions of scientific collection, preservation, and notation to create beautiful fictional specimen pages. “These works both honor and question the creation of knowledge, employing visual allusions and poetic text to create alternate ways of understanding the ‘evidence’ before us,” says Kornberg.

Both women have held artist residencies in the Whiteley Center at the University of Washington Friday Harbor Laboratories where Kornberg made some of the photographs used in the exhibition. What Is Left, a meditation on dying and grief, is a singular piece in the exhibition. “It moves between the abstract and the concrete, in both image and text, to explore the charged and disorienting experience of grief,” says Frost. Continue Reading

Jan at the animal shelter says these cuddle-bugs are the last four babies from the summer kitten season. The shelter is having a special until the end of the month… two kittens for the price of one.

Who wouldn’t want to snuggle up with a couple of these adorable guys on a blustery fall day? Stop by the shelter to meet them or visit www.apsfh.com to complete an adoption application.

Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor
111 Shelter Road
(360) 378-2158

Click to enlarge

Join us this Saturday for the San Juan Island Green Home Open House and Tour  at the San Juan Grange

• 11:00 Open House: Booths and Speakers
  Everything you always wanted to know about making your home more energy efficient.
• 1:00 Green Home Tour

If you are planning to come on the tour, please let us know. We are carpooling in Electric Vehicles.

RSVP to erin [@] sjislandscd.org or call 378-6621.

Hello Fish Taco Eaters:

Fish for Teeth is sponsoring the MTI Mobile Dental Van on San Juan Island October 7 – 8, this Friday and Saturday. The ToothMobile’s arrival is usually paired with the Taco Team making fabulous fish tacos, but due to scheduling conflicts the Taco Team is sitting this one out; we’ll all have to wait for a fish taco until January when the van comes again.

Fish for Teeth and its volunteer team of local dental professional is wrapping up its fifth year of providing dental services to those who otherwise cannot afford the care. Hundreds of island residents have since received services. Applications can be found at the Health Department, the Family Resource Center, or online at fishforteeth.com.

Although pre-scheduling is preferred, walk-ins are welcome and are served on a space-available basis. Requirements are that applicants must have no dental insurance, no discretionary income, and no other financial means to pay for dental services at this time. Basically, if you are in need of dental care and cannot afford a dentist, come to the Mullis Center Friday and Saturday and seek out the ToothMobile.

Wild Mushroom – Contributed photo

Bring your family out to relish autumn with naturalist Shona Aitken. Shona will lead an exploration into the woods in search of wild creatures. Your child will use their senses to find clues about which animals live there and where they would go to stay dry and warm when the weather becomes cold and wet.

Meet at the Westside Lake parking lot, which is located on the East side of Westside Road, about a mile north of the parking lot at Lime Kiln Point State Park.

This is event is geared towards families with children 8 and under; dress for the weather, including waterproof shoes/boots.

• Sunday, October 16, 2016
• 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm
• Limekiln Preserve, San Juan Island

Please carpool if possible as parking is limited.

Pre-registration is required. RSVP to Tanja Williamson at 360-378-4402 or email [email protected].

Beachwatchers and Birders Wanted For Coastal Observation And Seabird Survey Team

The Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST) will deliver two free trainings, one in Friday Harbor on Saturday, October 15 and one on Lopez Island on Sunday, October 16. Additionally, Julia Parrish, Executive Director of COASST, will give a presentation entitled Seabirds, Citizen Science and Saving the World in Friday Harbor on Friday, October 14.

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COASST volunteers help make a difference for the environment by collecting data on beach-cast carcasses of marine birds on a monthly basis to establish the baseline pattern of beached bird mortality on North Pacific beaches. Data collected helps address important marine conservation issues and protect marine resources.

Through an interactive, hands-on workshop, trainees will become acquainted with the custom COASST field guide, Beached Birds, and have a chance to try out their newly acquired identification skills on seabird species common to the North Pacific. The COASST training provides volunteers with the tools to monitor for potential changes in the marine environment and promote stewardship of local marine resources.

COASST is a citizen science project of the University of Washington in partnership with state, tribal, and federal agencies, environmental organizations, and community groups. COASST believes citizens of coastal communities are essential scientific partners in monitoring marine ecosystem health. By collaborating with citizens, natural resource management agencies and environmental organizations, COASST works to translate long-term monitoring into effective marine conservation solutions. Currently, more than 800 volunteers survey beaches in Washington, Oregon, California, and Alaska. Continue Reading

Medicare enrollment is from October 15 through December 7

Learn about Medicare basics, Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage Plans

Come to see us and we’ll help you compare plans and options for 2017

• Date: October 26, 2016
• Time: 2:00pm
• Place: Mullis Center

For more info or an appointment with Curt VanHyning or Pat VanSkyhawk, call 360-370-5188

Hosted by: Island Hospital, The Village at Friday Harbour, and San Juan Senior Services

SHIBA is a free, unbiased service of the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner

Liz Varvaro shares this announcment…

I am happy to announce our first Community Dinner of the 2016-17 School Year will be October 12th from 5:30 to 7:30 in the High School Commons!

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We will be presenting a Fall Harvest Menu featuring local produce.

We have increased the Suggested Donations to $15 for Adults and $7 for Children under 12 years old to offset rising food costs. (the last increase was in 2013)

Menu:

• Oven-Roasted Garlic Chicken – sustainably grown Draper Valley Farms chicken thighs roasted and braised in a garlic pan sauce
• Local Root Vegetables – roasted Island grown beets, carrots, sweet onions, potatoes and parsnips
• Local Squash Soup – puree of local squash, carrots and sweet onions
• Autumn Salad – local hearty greens, Quail Croft goat cheese, local Asian pears, toasted seeds and dried cherries with a light vinaigrette
• Rustic Bread Rolls – light wheat rolls brushed with herbed olive oil
• Snickerdoodle-Pumpkin Pie Bar – by Mr. Hendricks’ Baking Class

Your donations support the Student Chef.0 Internship and Food for Thought Lunch Program.

The San Juan Public Schools Foundation is holding its annual Phone-A-Thon to raise money for our local public schools, on Monday and Tuesday, October 17th and 18th, from 4-8pm.

“Our children deserve better than what the state offers in school funding,” says Rich Meenan, President of the San Juan Public Schools Foundation.

The annual Phone-A-Thon, along with the business partnership /school directory program, raised and donated over $100,000 to the schools in 2015, “and we are hoping to exceed that amount in 2016 because we are an island community generous in spirit” says Meenan.

Caller volunteers are needed! Persons interested in volunteering or making a donation should contact Nancy Young at 317-1755 or nancy [@] sanjuanislands.com.

SJC Auditor Milene Henley shares this notice…

Milene Henley – Contributed photo

For voters with disabilities, voting privately and independently can be a challenge. In the days of poll sites, polling places had accessible voting units (AVUs) to help those voters. With the transition to vote-by-mail, voting became easier for some disabled voters, because it removed the need to get to a poll site. For others, it represented a loss, as they were no longer able to vote, even at home, without the assistance of others.

An accessible voting unit is still available. The San Juan County Elections Office has an AVU that is set up and available for use from 18 days before Election Day, through Election Day. For voters with mobility impairments, the voting machine offers a choice of large, easy to use dials; tactile input devices (“jelly switches”); or “sip and puff” technology. (To use the “sip and puff” technology, voters must bring your own equipment.) Sight-impaired voters can listen to a recording of the printed ballot, then cast their ballots privately and independently.

The AVU in San Juan County is located at the Elections Office, 55nd Street, Friday Harbor.

If you would like more information about using the AVU, please call or email the Elections Office at (360) 378-3357 or [email protected].

Cohort XII from 2016 Pictured from top left: Madden Surbaugh, Lisa Guard, Nikyta Palmisani, Andre Entermann, Cara Cohn, Jennifer Allen, Adam Lorio, Jerald Weaver, Stephanie Prima, Jon Blomgren, Laura Cailloux, Kim Barnes, RuthAnne Comrie, Jennifer Fay Rice, Amy Plant, Kristina Moen and Danna Diaz – Not Pictured: Vicki Griffin – Contributed photo

2017 marks the 13th year of the Leadership San Juan Islands (LSJI) program, a local leadership training course that helps introduce islanders to the interconnecting “systems” that make up daily life throughout the county.

During the sessions, participants meet with current leaders and professionals, discuss and interact over local issues, visit key locations throughout the county and practice valuable facilitation and leadership skills.

Join alumni, including the new program director, Jennifer Rice to learn more and see if LSJI is for you at an Open House on Tuesday, October 18 at Steve Hushebeck’s house (285 Geneste St) in Friday Harbor.

For More Information Contact: Jennifer Rice, [email protected], 206-310-7271. Visit us anytime at www.lsji.org.

Many thanks,
Liz Illg
Alumni Laision and Recruitment Coordinator
Cell: (360) 378-6104

Bill Rosler and friend dressed in women’s clothing – SJ Museum photo

Shaun Hubbard shares October’s monthly column from the SJ Historical Society…

This photograph is labeled simply “Bill Rosler and friend dressed in women’s clothing.” That much we know, and the rest could use a little more explanation. The photograph is undated. It is known that Bill Rosler (1878-1968) is the man on the left. It is believed that the woman standing between the two men is Adaline Thrones (1871-1957), Bill’s sister who married Anton Thrones. Parents of Bill and Adaline were Christopher Rosler, an American Camp soldier originally from Germany, and Anna Pike, a Tsimshian who had come down from Alaska with her parents to fish the Salmon Bank.

But let’s get back to the photo. Who is the man on the right? Was the dress up occasion for the play once put on by the Women’s Study Club in which husbands were talked into dressing like women? Or is this a snapshot from Halloween of yesteryear? If you know any answers, please contact the San Juan Historical Society and Museum. And enjoy planning your costume this month, as these two men certainly did.

Right of Way Driving School is for sale. Owner Sam Leigh says it’s time for the school to “take it to the next level”, and that’s not something she is able to do.

Sam opened the business in 2011 and has been training young San Juan Island drivers ever since, and has even spent a summer teaching students from Orcas Island as well. “I have put my heart and soul into it and I really believe it’s a great community asset” she says. “I hope we can keep it local”.

These are the core things that Sam has done –

• Friday Harbor Location; Teen Drivers Ed Sessions for Intermediate Licenses
• Adult Private Evaluations, Lessons and Crash Prevention Course
• WA State Knowledge/WRITTEN Test for Permits and Licensing
• WA State Driving/SKILLS Test for Licensing for New and Reinstated Drivers Licenses

But she feels strongly that additional services should be offered, including the following:

• Teen Drivers Education Locations on San Juan, Orcas/Shaw and Lopez Islands
• Skills Testing for Spanish Community
• Defensive Accident Avoidance Driving Course
• Expansion to Anacortes/Skagit County Communities
• Corporate, Fleet and Senior Insurance Reduction Course
• State Approved Online Course for First Time Licenses
• Court Approved Course for Traffic Offenses

Get in touch to find out more:

Right of Way Driving School
470 Reed Street at Blair – Friday Harbor, WA 98250
(360) 298-4399

Email: drive [@] rightofwaydrivingschool.com

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and SAFE San Juans (formerly DVSAS) has created several great opportunities to come together as a community, actively create conversation, honor those who have suffered from such violence, and become empowered to take action in fostering an island environment characterized by respect for others, equal access to resources, and safety for all.

First, coming up this Sunday, October 9, Join SAFE San Juans at the Brickworks, at 2:00pm for their 4th annual Beautiful You Fashion Show, celebrating the beauty and diversity of all island residents. Enjoy refreshments from generous local donors while viewing featured fashions from wonderful local shops including: Be Chic, Girlfriends, 2nd Act, and Kings Marine, with model hair by Spa d’Bune. Tickets are $25.00 and are available at the participating businesses, by calling the SAFE San Juans office at (360) 378-8680, or online at SAFEsj.org.

Also, you may have already noticed the Silent Witness silhouettes on the lawn of the legislative building, across from the courthouse. This display is meant to honor those who died from domestic violence in 2015. Please take some time to walk among the figures or write your thoughts in the journal provided on site. SAFE San Juans will be hosting a vigil in honor of these victims at the site on October 21st at 12 noon.

Lastly, come out to the old medical center building (550 Spring St.) on Sunday, October 23rd, for an afternoon of fun and information about the new allied social service project being spearheaded by SAFE San Juans. Also featured will be the exciting new vision for The Cove – Carlson Youth Center of the San Juan Islands. The event will be a wonderful opportunity to catch the energy for this great initiative! There will be a virtual tour representing the finished project, as well as self-guided walk-throughs of the building past our artist’s renderings. There will also be several short presentations by project leads, a complimentary hot dog feed (hosted by the Stand Up Men), ample time for questions & answers, and sign-ups for those who would like to take on a more active role in this project benefiting the entire community.

Be sure to mark your calendars and join SAFE San Juans in their work to empower our islands to live free of abuse.

Story by Louise Dustrude

With the advent of affordable live-streaming technology and a desire for increased transparency in government, San Juan County and Friday Harbor, like many other jurisdictions in the United States, have implemented video access in recent years.

In a county like ours where many residents live on a different island from the county seat, the ability to view legislative meetings in real time (or watch the recording later) has allowed the public to become more engaged with local government.

Even many people living right on San Juan have embraced the convenience of watching the local government discussions from their homes.

Now several groups take advantage of the set-ups in the county legislative meeting room — the County Council, the County Planning Commission, the County Board of Health, the Public Hospital District, and occasionally other groups such as Washington State Ferries — and the same system set up in town hall.

County and Town videos are also archived to watch later and subjects of interest can be watched separately. The agenda is posted alongside on the video page with links to specific items where just that segment can be viewed. A great time saver!

The State’s Open Public Meetings Act encouraged local governments to take this step, and the technology and affordability made it possible. Many large counties in the state now offer live streaming of meetings, according to Ingrid Gabriel, Clerk to the County Council. Continue Reading